ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study was to interpret and validate a French version of the Oswestry disability index (ODI), using a cross-cultural validation method. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was assessed in order to ensure the psychometric characteristics. METHOD: The cross-cultural validation was carried out according to Beaton's methodology. The study was conducted with 41 patients suffering from low back pain. The correlation between the ODI and the Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), the medical outcome survey short form-36 (MOS SF-36) and a pain visual analogical scale (VAS) was assessed. RESULTS: The validity of the Oswestry questionnaire was studied using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient calculation: 0.87 (n=36). The significant correlation between the ODI and RMDQ was 0.8 (P<0.001, n=41) and 0.71 (P<0.001, n=36) for the pain VAS. The correlation between the ODI and certain subscales (physical functioning 0.7 (P<0.001, n=41), physical role 0.49 et bodily pain 0.73 (P<0.001, n=41)) of the MOS SF-36 were equally significant. The reproducibility of the ODI was calculated using the Wilcoxon matched pairs test: there was no significant difference for eight out of ten sections or for the final score. CONCLUSION: This French translation of the ODI should be considered as valid and reliable. It should be used for any future clinical studies carried out using French language patients. Complimentary studies must be completed in order to assess its sensitivity to change in the event of any modifications in the patients functional capacity.
Subject(s)
Disability Evaluation , Surveys and Questionnaires , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Data Interpretation, Statistical , Female , France , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Statistics, Nonparametric , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , TranslationsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to compare the standing posture of stroke patients with standing posture of healthy subjects. We have used an analysis of the centres of pressure sways. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The centres of pressure sways of the subjects were recorded on a force platform. Each subject have carried out 5 trials of 60 s while maintaining a static standing posture, with eyes opened and then closed. These sways were broken down into two spectral frequencies. The first ones being the sways of the vertical projection of the centre of gravity and the second ones being the difference between the centre of pressure and the centre of gravity, expressing the neuromuscular stiffness. RESULTS: The 6 hemiplegic patients were 53.3 +/- 5.3 years old. The time since the stroke is 35.1 +/- 29.9 months. The 5 healthy subjects were 47.2 +/- 6.6 years old. The results showed that the root mean square of the neuromuscular stiffness spectral frequencies for the hemiplegic group was higher than the one of the healthy group. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis could be in static standing posture, the stiffness of the hips adductors and abductors muscles and the ankles flexors and extensors muscles is higher for the hemiplegic group than the healthy group. This increase of the stiffness could be explained by a disturbance of the muscle tone or/and the muscle coordination found amongst the hemiplegic patients. This first study encourages us to use this methodology to assess the evolution of the standing posture for hemiplegic patients during the rehabilitation period.
Subject(s)
Hemiplegia/complications , Posture , Stroke/complications , Biomechanical Phenomena , Female , Hemiplegia/etiology , Hip , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Muscle, Skeletal/physiologyABSTRACT
Impairment of pulmonary function is a major prognostic indicator in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Forced vital capacity (FVC) and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) decline linearly and are commonly used to assess disease progression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of testing respiratory muscle strength in ALS with a novel test, sniff nasal pressure (Pn(sn)), in parallel with more classic tests such as maximal inspiratory pressure (PI(max)) and maximal expiratory pressure (PE(max)). Sixteen patients with ALS were examined monthly over a period of 18 +/- 10 months. At the time of inclusion in the study, values were normal for FVC (107% of predicted value) and MVV (87% of predicted value) but abnormally low for Pn(sn) (67% of predicted value), PI(max) (69% of predicted value), and PE(max) (54% of predicted value). Late in the course of ALS, all patients could perform Pn(sn) whereas 6 could not perform PI(max) and 7 could not perform PE(max). The rate of deterioration was most often linear and similar for FVC (-4.1% of predicted value per month), MVV (-4.3% of predicted value per month), and Pn(sn) (-4.2% of predicted value per month). We conclude that Pn(sn) was the single respiratory test combining linear decline, sensitivity in mild disease, and feasibility in advanced disease. Being easy to perform and inexpensive, Pn(sn) appears well suited to assess the decline of respiratory muscle strength in ALS.
